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Mont-Saint-Michel

Mont Saint Michel is one of the most photographed, and easily recognised, landmarks in France. It is in Normandy close to the border with Brittany.

For a long time ownership of Mont Saint Michel alternated between Normandy and Brittany. Because it lies at the mouth of the river that separates the two departments, and the river kept silting up and changing direction, Mont Saint Michel also moved between the two departments.

Brittany still make a (perhaps reasonable) claim that since the island was theirs, it is hardly their fault if the river has moved, so it should still be theirs.

Ever in danger of becoming part of the mainland, due to silting in the river, the French government has recently agreed to a large scale 'de-silting' programme that will ensure Mont Saint Michel remains an island.

Mont Saint Michel is now one of the leading tourist destinations in France, with 3 million visitors each year. An interesting fact: only one in three of these visitors make it as far as the Abbey that is on top of the Mount.

Just to deal with one common misunderstanding - Mont Saint Michel is currently never inaccessible due to high tides.

You pass into the town through a large portcullissed gate, and enter into an attractive medieval world, except for the excessive number of tourist shops that diminish its impact to some extent.

You really should keep on exploring as far as the abbey, both for the splendid gothic abbey itself (known as 'La Merveille' or 'the marvel'), and for the views it provides. It is after all the abbey that makes 'Mont Saint Michel' what it is, rather than just a silted up island off the coast.

The abbey itself was built over the course of many years, from the 11th to the 16th centuries.

Mont Saint Michel is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mont St Michel: tourist information, map, travel plans and gites

Tourist Classifications for Mont-Saint-Michel

- Listed UNESCO World Heritage Site

Places to visit near Mont-Saint-Michel

Explore places of interest within about 70 kilometres on a map at places near Mont-Saint-Michel.

Some places to visit within 30 km of Mont-Saint-Michel are shown below (if found).

Combourg Town and castle at 36 km
Dol-de-Bretagne Town, Brittany at 29 km
Granville coastal resort at 24 km

See also Mont-Saint-Michel (version Francais)

Airports near Mont-Saint-Michel

Dinard airport at 63 km Rennes airport at 67 km

Photos of Mont-Saint-Michel - click a photo to see larger version